Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Quick Hits: Forward lines, One Year since Bubble opener, TIFH

August 2, 2021, 7:15 AM ET [287 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Quick Hits: August 2, 2021

1) With the major exception of the July 24 trade that sent Jakub Voracek to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Cam Atkinson, the Flyers forward corps is largely the same as the group that was in place last season. As of today, if I had to predict opening-night lines, it might look something like this:

Claude Giroux - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee - Kevin Hayes - Cam Atkinson
James van Riemsdyk - Scott Laughton - Wade Allison
Oskar Lindblom - Nate Thompson - Nicolas Aube-Kubel

X-factor players in training camp: Morgan Frost, Tanner Laczynski.
Vying for recalls: Jackson Cates, Linus Sandin, German Rubtsov.

In upcoming blogs, I will focus individually on Frost, Laczynski and Allison. It would be a big boost to the team if at least two of them to a leap in their play over the course of the 2021-22 season.

Likewise, it would also be transformative if Lindblom can get back to the level he played in the second half of 2018-19 and the first two-plus months of the 2019-20 campaign prior to his Ewing Sarcoma diagnosis. If he can recover something close to that level, Lindblom can once again slot higher in the Philadelphia lineup.

We'll go in-depth into these topics as training camp approaches.

2) Today in Flyers History: Aug. 2, 2020

It feels like it's been a lot longer than one calendar year since this game: Today marks exactly one year since the Flyers opened the 2020 postseason with a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in the Bubble in Toronto on Aug. 2, 2020.

The Flyers were outplayed in the first period but Carter Hart kept the game scoreless with a dozen saves. In the second period, goals by Michael Raffl and Nate Thompson opened a 2-0 lead. After Chris Wagner cut the deficit to 2-1 with 1:09 left in the period, Philippe Myers responded a mere eight seconds later to restore a two-goal margin.

In the third period, Scott Laughton added some extra insurance at 4:07. Hart took care of the rest, turning aside all 15 shots he faced to finish with 34 saves on 35 shots overall. Jaroslav Halak (25 saves on 29 shots) took the loss for Boston. The Bruins pulled Halak with 4:11 remaining on the third period clock, but there was no further scoring by either team.

3) Aug. 2 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Rick Lapointe (Aug. 2, 1955 - Oct. 17, 1999), Mike Peluso (1974).

4) Congratulations go out to Giana Han, who was recently hired by the Philadelphia Inquirer to become a Flyers beat writer.
Join the Discussion: » 287 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Bill Meltzer
» Flyers Gameday: 3/28/24 @ MTL
» Wrap: Flyers Lose 6-5 OT Game to Rangers
» Flyers Gameday: 3/26/24 @ NYR
» Quick Hits: Flyers-FLA Wrap, Flyers Daily, Phantoms, Bigger than Hockey
» Flyers Gameday: 3/24/2024 vs. FLA; Phantoms Update